Stunning After 40 is a probiotic supplement used for weight loss during menopause. The manufacturer claims that "Now it's possible to restore your metabolism to pre-menopause state by skinny menopause probiotics!"
But does Stunning After 40 contain research-backed ingredients for weight loss? Does it contain any questionable additives? Do women experiencing menopause require different weight loss strategies than younger women?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Stunning After 40 to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for weight loss, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also explain why we don't think a menopause-specific weight loss supplement is scientific.
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Stunning After 40 are shown above.
DE111 is a patented strain of Bacillus probiotics that's not typically used to support weight loss.
In fact, the manufacturer's own website describes this supplement strain as providing "immune and digestive health benefits."
Lactobacillus rhamnosus is a species of probiotics, and one specific strain within this genus was shown in a clinical trial published in the European Journal of Nutrition to cause weight loss in obese mice.
This doesn't necessarily mean that the broad genus will cause weight loss, and we have only come across clinical data on the efficacy of specific probiotic strains within this genus.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is a strange choice for a weight loss formulation.
As we discussed in our BioFit review article, this probiotic species is clinically shown to cause weight gain.
Lactobacillus casei is a probiotic species, and one strain within this species was shown in a 2022 clinical trial to have anti-obesity effects in animals.
Overall, we consider Stunning After 40 potentially effective for weight loss because some of the probiotic species used have research backing.
However, we consider it to be a sign of a low-quality supplement brand to only list the probiotic species and not the specific probiotic strain, because most clinical studies we've come across on probiotics for weight loss detail the specific strain used.
The inactive ingredients in this supplement, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:
Are Menopause Weight Loss Supps a Scam?
There are a number of weight loss supplements marketed to women in menopause.
However, we haven't come across any clinical evidence that women experiencing menopause require different nutrients for weight loss, or require a different weight loss strategy, than women not experiencing menopause.
We consider it to be a red flag of a low-quality supplement brand to be marketing menopause weight loss supplements.
As we discussed in our review of another menopause weight loss supplement called Provitalize, weight loss is a simple thermogenic process: calories in versus calories out.
While it's true that women experience hormonal changes during menopause, Stunning After 40 fails to prove on their website that those hormonal changes necessitate a differing weight loss approach to any other weight loss supplement.
Does Menopause Change the Brain?
A YouTube video from TODAY investigates whether or not "menopause brain" is a real thing, and how it may affect women's health:
Questionable Health Claims
There are a number of questionable health claims on the Stunning After 40 website at the time of publishing this article.
The brand claims that "90%" of women experience a metabolic decline post-menopause, which suggests that the rate of calories they burn at rest decreases:
However, the brand provides no proof or citation to support this claim.
The website also suggests that all of the "strains" in their probiotic are clinically shown to support weight loss:
First, this description is unscientific and inaccurate because their Supplement Facts panel lists probiotic species, not probiotic strains.
Even in the description to support this claim, the brand fails to describe any weight loss effects from one of the probiotic species used:
We recommend that consumers be wary of supplement brands that make specific health claims without providing any proof to support those claims. It's a sign of a low-quality brand.
Our Clean Weight Loss Picks
Ceylon cinnamon was described as "an effective anti-obesity agent" in a 2022 meta-analysis. The study authors concluded that effects were greater at doses at or over 3 grams daily.
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our standardized Ceylon cinnamon supplement which is third-party tested to ensure purity and potency.
Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.
Both of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Stunning After 40 Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Stunning After 40 in our opinion:
Pros:
- May support gut health
- Some probiotic strains within the probiotic species used have research backing for weight loss
- No unhealthy ingredients
- Unlikely to cause side effects
Cons:
- Brand makes questionable health claims
- Brand makes uncited health claims
- We can't find clinical evidence to support the notion that the probiotic strains in this supplement will cause weight loss
- Menopause weight loss supplements are unscientific in our opinion
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- Challenging to find user reviews other than brand's website
- Manufacturer of the patented probiotic used doesn't describe it as being effective for weight loss
